The Dacia Vienna Vikings, one of the top clubs in Austria and Europe, have signed defensive lineman Felix N’twa who returns to Vienna after spending time at San Jose City College, ASA College and Texas A&M Commerce.
A native of Vienna with roots in the Congo, the 6’3″, 270 lb N’twa did not begin playing football until he transferred to Cathedral High School in El Paso,Texas for two years. And even then, he only played football in his senior year since he had been focusing on basketball. The head coach at Cathedral recruited him for the football team after seeing him on the basketball court.
Following that, N’twa played a year at San Jose City College (led the team in tackles for loss with 13.5) before moving on to ASA College and finally Texas A&M Commerce (NCAA Div. II).
American Football International asked Felix about his background and how he wound up back in Vienna playing football.
Felix N’twa: I played 1 year of college football at the San Jose City College in California, the rest of the 2 years I was in the college (ASA College and Texas A&M Commerce) I was plagued by injuries unfortunately.
AFI: How did you end up signing with the Vienna Vikings?
N’twa: It was a combination of a lot of things, Aleksandar Milanovic recruited me, after my failed experience in the US. I was thinking of hanging up my cleats, Aleksandar gave me back the spirit to play football again so i checked out the Vikings and everything went smooth, Coach Calaycay explained to me what the Vienna Vikings were about and Coach Latek pitched me the opportunity to improve my technique and skill and the chance to play for a championship.
AFI: Did you have many other offers?
N’twa: Yes thanks to Dustin Illetschko, he showed me how to make a Europlayers profile and a bunch of teams from all over Europe started to recruit me, Finland, France, Germany, Austria and Spain,Portugal.
AFI: What did you take away from your years in college football?
N’twa: The commitment you have to put in this game to reach heights you think aren’t possible to reach. I’ll never forget how much coaches would push you through practices especially in the individuals.
AFI: What do you look forward to coming back?
N’twa: Just to enjoy the game like I did my first time playing football and making plays all over the field.
AFI: Are there any foods you miss from the States?
N’twa: I definitely miss the Texas cuisine and of course Mexican food such as quesadillas, chimichangas, enchiladas to just name a few.
AFI: What do you bring to the Vikings?
N’twa: Effort and dedication.
AFI: What other countries in Europe have you played in?
N’twa: That’s my first year playing football in Europe, never played here before.
AFI: What are your expectations for 2017?
N’twa: To win the Austrian championship and the individual accolades that comes with winning.
AFI: Your parents are from the Congo. Has your African heritage helped inspire you?
N’twa: Football in Africa is definitely growing, when we see how many successful NFL players have been from an African background it’s inspiring.
Interested in playing American football in overseas?
Register on Europlayers.com.
Europlayers is the largest online database of American football players, teams and coaches. It is a connector, bringing together and introducing athletes to overseas teams. On the site you can begin researching teams around the world. Once you create a profile, you become searchable by hundreds of American football clubs around the world.